India’s use of CITES Appendix III

Abstract

India is one of the few countries to have made extensive use of Appendix III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), compared to other Parties to the Convention. Here we examine India’s use of Appendix III and illustrate its benefits and limitations, using examples of species listed by India in Appendix III. Since its ratification of CITES in 1976, India has listed 39 taxa in Appendix III, 27 species and six subspecies listings of which are still current. Through the listings, important international trade data was gathered, some of which have supported the decision for application to a different CITES Appendix with stricter trade controls. However, the majority of the species have been listed for more than 30 years and a re-evaluation of their listing status and suitability for Appendix III may be warranted. The same applies to the reservations entered by several Parties. We provide recommendations on how to make some of the current listings more effective and encourage other Parties to evaluate their native, non-CITES listed species and, if warranted, to make use of Appendix III to contribute to the conservation of their native wildlife.